View source for Xerophyllum tenax

{{SPlantbox
|familia=Melanthiaceae
|genus=Xerophyllum
|species=tenax
|common_name=bear grass, squaw grass,soap grass, quip-quip, Indian basket grass
|Min ht box=15
|Min ht metric=cm
|Max ht box=150
|Max ht metric=cm
|lifespan=perennial
|Temp Metric=°F
|image=Beargrass.jpg
|image_width=200
}}
{{Inc|
Xerophyllum tenax, Nutt. Two to 5 ft. high: lvs. about 2 lines wide: raceme 1-2 ft. long; pedicels longer: perianth segms. scarcely equaling the stamens. Calif. to Brit. Col. June, July. B.R. 1613 (erroneously as X. setifolium).
}}

'''''Xerophyllum tenax''''' (syn. ''Helonias tenax'') is a grasslike perennial in the family [[Melanthiaceae]], closely related to [[Liliaceae|lilies]]. It is known by several common names, including '''bear grass''', '''squaw grass''', '''soap grass''', '''quip-quip''', and '''Indian basket grass'''. It can grow to 15-150 cm in height and grows in bunches with the leaves wrapped around and extending from a small stem at ground level. The leaves are 30-100 cm long and 2-6 mm wide, dull olive green with toothed edges. The slightly fragrant white flowers emerge from a tall stalk that bolts from the base. When the flowers are in bloom they are tightly packed at the tip of the stalk like an upright club. The plant is found mostly in western [[North America]] from [[British Columbia]] south to [[California]] and east to [[Wyoming]], in subalpine meadows and coastal mountains, and also on low ground in the California coastal fog belt. It is common on the [[Olympic Peninsula]] and in the [[Cascade Range|Cascades]], northern [[Sierra Nevada (U.S.)|Sierra Nevada]] and [[Rocky Mountains|Rockies]].

==Cultivation==
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===Propagation===
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===Pests and diseases===
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==Species==
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==Gallery==
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==References==
*[[Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture]], by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963
<!--- xxxxx  *Flora: The Gardener's Bible, by Sean Hogan. Global Book Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0881925381  -->
<!--- xxxxx  *American Horticultural Society: A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, by Christopher Brickell, Judith D. Zuk. 1996. ISBN 0789419432  -->
<!--- xxxxx  *Sunset National Garden Book. Sunset Books, Inc., 1997. ISBN 0376038608  -->

==External links==
*{{wplink}}

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